The NFL will not punish Deshaun Watson following his latest sexual assault case, a league spokesperson told ESPN. The league ended its review and stated there was insufficient evidence to support finding a violation of its personal conduct policy.
The lawsuit, which was filed in September, accused Watson of sexual assault and battery for exposing himself and then sexually assaulting a women while at her apartment on a date in 2020. Watson strongly denied the allegations through his attorney, and has since settled the case.
The settlement came two years after Watson faced more than 20 lawsuits for varying degrees of sexual assault. These lawsuits were settled out of court, but the NFL still proceeded to penalize Watson with an 11-game suspension ahead of the 2022 season, his first in Cleveland.
Watson, who signed a record-setting contract with the Browns in 2022, went 1-6 as the starting quarterback this season before suffering a season-ending injury. The Browns have gone 2-3 with Jameis Winston filling in for Watson.
